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Israel Teaching Fellows

Masa Israel Teaching Fellows

An insufficient grasp of the English language can be a major socioeconomic barrier for Israelis in the periphery, who often do not have regular exposure to native English speakers.

Ma'ase Olam- Masa Israel Teaching Fellowsworks to close Israel's achievement gap by bringing college graduates from English-speaking countries to Israel to tutor students in one on one and small group settings, to serve as English teachers' aids and to lead special English-based activities in Israeli schools and youth centers.

Israel Teaching Fellows is a joint 10-month service-learning program for English-speaking and Israeli young adults. The program includes:

Joint programing and volunteering with a group of Israeli peers

The challenge of teaching English as per the guidelines of the Ministry of Education

An additional community project that fellows undertake for the benefit of the local community

Our program is based in Rehovot, a developing city located about 12 miles south of Tel Aviv. With a population of 114,00, Rehovot offers diverse student demographics, with significant populations of Ethiopian, Yemenite and Russian Jews. It is also home to the famous Weizmann Institute and Faculty of Agriculture of Hebrew University, which brings young Israelis from all over the country there to study, and creates a vibrant youth atmosphere.

"I feel like I’m really growing in my time here. As a group, we’ve discussed what it’s like to be in our schools and there is a general excitement about being able to help the future of the country grow." – Ma'ase Olam Participant

By being part of Ma'ase Olam - Israel Teaching Fellows, you become part of a much larger social change organization called Ma'ase. You will become a member of the Ma'ase community of 700 volunteers from all over Israel and the world. Together we are taking an active and central role in shaping Israel's future.

Teaching Fellows spend 25-30 hours a week volunteering in an elementary or middle school, enhancing English curriculum as a tutor or teacher’s assistant. Opportunities also arise for Fellows to pursue special English-based projects. Past examples of such projects include a debate club, international culture lessons, and a bullying seminar.

"I was really impressed with how well prepared and organized her work was. And of course, she is very capable and professional. After just one week, she is so confident, it's as if she has been working with us for several years. We are so lucky to have her in our school. She is wonderful with the students and they are so happy to learn with her." - Review from a Ma'ase Olam supervisor

As opposed to programs that send people from English-speaking countries to live in an insular bubble, Ma’ase Olam intentionally connects our English-speaking participants with a group of Israeli peers. The presence of two colleges in Rechovot ensures that there is always a large number of Israeli young adults living in Rechovot, from all over the country. This allows our program coordinator to be highly selective when creating the Israeli peer group.

The English-speaking participants and Israeli peers will undergo joint programming together. Peers also serve as critical mediums in our Fellows' adjustment to life in Israel. All of this will set the stage for a meaningful and deep cultural exchange.

"We learned that we are the only group that has Israeli counterparts. Many other groups are quite jealous of this difference.” - Ma'ase Olam participant

In addition to teaching in local schools, Fellows will work on a community project to meet the needs of the community of Rehovot. The community project will be created collectively with your fellow English-speaking participants and with the members of the Israeli peer group. Examples of past projects include:

The training program consists of ongoing study at one of Israel's leading teacher training colleges, and is supplemented with pedagogical guidance provided by trained advisors.

Training content is based on the requirements of the English Inspectorate of the Ministry of Education and will introduce Fellows to the Israeli Educational System, the culture of the Israeli classroom, the English curriculum, dynamics of tutoring, textbooks, best teaching practices, school enrichment programs and other topics relevant to Fellows' volunteer work.

Advisors will visit Fellows in their schools, observe their work with students, give feedback and suggest tools for improvement. They meet with Fellows regularly and are available for questions and advice.

Joint activities (chivrutot) between the English-speaking and Israeli participants will focus on developing cross-cultural dialogue as well as individual and collective Jewish identity. During the program, you will have the opportunity to study different aspects of Israeli society and the many challenges it faces, as well as the Israeli-Diaspora relationship. Examples of past chivrutot include:

You will go on several tours, or tiyulim, throughout Israel to learn firsthand about Israel’s history, diverse geography, and various cultures. All tiyulim are designed with the intention of better understanding the pressing social justice issues in each region of the country.

All English-speaking participants will study Hebrew (no prior knowledge required) and due to the size of the Youth Village Fellow group, Hebrew lessons are in small groups where you get more individual attention.

"This year will be challenging for me as I don’t speak Hebrew and the fact that a significant portion of ITF involves teaching English to disadvantaged children. Sounds intimidating, right? But what’s life without a little adventure?" - Ma'ase Olam Participant

During the program you will receive a direct deposit of 1,000 NIS a month to cover basic public transportation and food expenses. The stipend will be deposited directly to your bank account, which will be opened in Israel for this purpose. Participants may want to bring extra money with them for further personal spending.

Fellows will be housed in furnished apartments and will be encouraged to live communally, setting the stage for a transformative encounter with the other English-speaking participants in the program. They will be sharing rooms with 1-2 other fellows. Apartments include a full kitchen, a living room, two bathrooms, a washing machine, and will come furnished with pots and pans and bedding. Apartments will have Internet access and all other necessary utilities.

Total program cost is $1,050, including all accommodations and health insurance. Ma'ase Olam will reimburse you for the cost of your flight (up to 5,000 NIS) upon successful completion of the program. Ma'ase Olam provides a monthly stipend of 1,000 NIS for food and transportation.

Israel Teaching Fellows is made possible by the generous support of the Ministry of Education of the State of Israel. Ma'ase Olam - Israel Teaching Fellows is a Masa Israel Journey accredited program. Masa Israel alumni are not eligible to participate in Israel Teaching Fellows program. If you've already been on a Masa program, please explore our Israel Service Fellows program.

About Rehovot

Ma'ase Olam - Masa Israel Teaching Fellows will live and serve in Rehovot.

Rehovot is located in the center of Israel, about 12 miles south of Tel Aviv. It is home to the famous Weizmann Institute and Faculty of Agriculture of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and is known as one of the hubs of scientific and academic research in the country. Rehovot has a population of 114,000, including substantial populations of Ethiopian, Yemenite and Russian Jews. Its two colleges attract students and faculty from all over the country, which gives the city a young, lively atmosphere and social scene.

Buses and trains run through Rehovot, making all parts of Israel easily accessible.

Meet the Fellows

Meet the 2016-2017 Fellows!

Abbie

Abbie is from Palm Harbor Florida. She was living in Tallahassee Florida working as a program evaluator at a non-profit before coming to Israel. She is now living in Rehovot and teaching English at Sinai, a religious elementary school. She is very excited about the year ahead and hopes to really immerse herself in the Israeli culture. She also hopes to learn a lot from the children she will be teaching and motivate them to want to learn English. She says "If I can inspire at least one child, I will have succeeded."

Alyssa

Alyssa is from Long Island, New York. She came to Israel this year because she loves being here and wanted to find a program that allowed her to be in Israel for an extended amount of time, as well allowed her to give back to the country that means so much to her. Her hope is through this program she can build on her professional development. As well, develop her cultural identity in Israel and Judaism.

Amanda

Amanda hails from Detroit, Michigan. She graduated from the University of Michigan and She is still working through the pain of not being able to cheer on her Wolverines in person, but the amazing experience she is having as a MASA fellow in Rehovot makes up for it. This year she really hopes to become proficient in Hebrew and Arabic, along with teaching her kids English. So far her and her students trade off teaching other and she thinks they might be catching on faster than she am! She is looking forward to a great year.

Becca

Becca received her BA in English Adolescent Education from St. Joseph's College in Long Island, New York, which is where she is from. Before Masa, she had taught middle and high school English, and plans to continue to do so after the program. With an extensive background in musical theater, she plans to return to school to receive a Master's Degree in Theater Education. Becca loves to sing, and hopes to incorporate her love and skill for music in her volunteer project here in Rehovot.

Casie

Casie is from Vermont where she has been teaching World Cultures in a middle school for the past two years. She is excited to learn about the culture, history, politics and educational system of Israel this year. She is looking forward to teaching English and learning from the vibrant faculty and students at Madaim.

Dana

Dana was born and raised in Los Angeles,CA. Recently she graduated from California state university, Northridge with a bachelors in Liberal Studies. Her hobbies include dance, reading, and spending quality time with friends and family. Israel has always felt like home to her and having the opportunity to teach and give back in a place that means so much to her is a dream come true.

Hayley

Hayley grew up in Chicago Illinois and studied psychology and neuroscience at Grinnell College. She is now living in Rehovot and teaching English to fourth, fifth, and sixth graders at Sinai, a religious elementary school. She came to Ma'ase Olam in the hopes of learning more about Israeli culture and helping children in different types of communities here in Israel. She hopes to start an after school art club here in Rehovot. She is really excited to learn from the children she works with and hopes that her work with them will both improve their English skills and inspire them creatively.

Kendra

Kendra is from Boulder, CO. She graduated from American University with a degree in International Relations and a focus on Education and Development. She is ooking forward to a meaningful and exciting year of working with kids, exploring Israel, and finding all the best falafel places.

Keren

Keren is from California and is so excited to be living in Rehovot this year. She is teaching English to students in 3-6 grade at Hadarim. She hopes to build a strong connection to the students and the school and create meaningful English lessons.

Lauren

Lauren Wachspress graduated from Frankin & Marshall with a degree in Creative Writing and Judaic Studies. She grew up in South Jersey. Her claim of fame is she went to the same high school as Kelly Ripa. One time Lauren attacked Wanda Sykes and interrupted her dinner for a picture. She came to Israel to escape Trump. This year she teaches English at Herzog Elementary school in Rehovot. She hopes to impact the kids she's working with and learn more about Israeli culture.

Lily

Lily is from Midland, Michigan. While in Rehovot she is working alongside another fellow at Ort Middle school as an English teacher. She is currently working with 7th, 8th, and 9th grade students. While here in Israel this year she hopes to accomplish many things including gaining more teaching experience as well as gaining confidence in her teaching abilities. She would really love to make a positive impact on the students, school, and members of the surrounding community.

Marla

Marla comes from from Livingston, New Jersey. She is excited to be here in Rehovot teaching English to students at Katzir Middle School. During her time in Israel she is looking forward to building relationships with her school, city, and programme communities.

Max

Max is from Fair Lawn, New Jersey. Currently he is working as an Israeli Teaching Fellow in Rehovot at Katzir Middle school. Most recently, he joined the local, Rehovot Owls Rugby team, which has introduced him to amazing people and places throughout Israel. As the year goes on, he hopes to travel all of Israel, learn Hebrew, explore his Judiasm and ultimately better understand himself as a person and a citizen of the world.

Mikayla

Mikayla is from Connecticut. She just graduated from the University of Connecticut where she was studying psychology. She decided to do this program because she loves working with kids and she really wanted to live in Israel before going to graduate school. She is so excited to learn more about the country and the people who live here. By the time She leaves in June I want people on the street to think she's Israeli.

Naomi

Naomi is from Boston, and she is excited to be living in Rehovot this year and teaching English to elementary school students at Hadarim! She is looking to learn more about the education field, improve her Hebrew skills, and make a difference in the lives of these children, by motivating them to want to learn and improve their English. In her spare time, she enjoys Israeli dancing, playing soccer, and exploring new places.

Rosie

Rosie is from Boulder, Colorado. This year she is teaching in Rehovot. Over the next ten months she hopes to form strong connections with the kids, improve her Hebrew, and learn more about how the school system in Israel works.

Shirah

Shirah is from Manchester, Vermont. This year she is teaching English in Rehovot. This year she hopes to develop strong bonds with the kids while helping them understand how learning English will be able to help them connect to individuals all across the world!

Ma'ase ("deed" or "action" in Hebrew) is an award winning non-profit organization that was established in 2004 to promote equal opportunity and civic leadership among young adults from Israel’s peripheries through volunteer and follow-up programs. Ma'ase Olam, a project of Ma'ase, runs joint 10-month service learning programs bringing together young adults from Israel and the Diaspora to do meaningful service work in communities in Israel’s geographic and social periphery. Ma'ase Olam organizes Israel Teaching Fellows, an opportunity for exemplary college graduates to teach English in Israel on a 10-month service program. Our goal is to address Israel’s educational achievement gap and the widespread underperformance of youth in low-income communities.

Israel Teaching Fellows is a Masa Israel Journey program and is made possible by the generous support of the Ministry of Education of the State of Israel. Masa Israel is a joint venture of The Jewish Agency for Israel and the Government of Israel.

Not have Israeli citizenship OR if you do, you must have left Israel before the age of 14 and have lived outside of Israel for at least four consecutive years prior to receiving a Masa Israel grant or scholarship

Not have been on an organized program in Israel (including an academic program) of more than four months since September 2004

Fellows are responsible to pay $1,050 for the full 10-month experience. This fee includes furnished accommodations, a monthly stipend, Hebrew immersion classes, professional and personal development activities, organized tours across Israel, and other enrichment activities. You will receive a flight reimbursement for up to 5,000 NIS at the end of the program. Ma’ase Olam’s programs are highly subsidized due to their intensive nature. They are intended for those who are serious about creating social change and developing into leaders in the Jewish world.

You will receive a monthly stipend of 1,200 NIS (about $340, depending on the exchange rate) to pay for basic food and transportation costs. This living stipend is among the highest offered in all of Masa’s programs.

We are more than happy to help you prepare a monthly budget so that the stipend will suffice for essentials. The program covers all your housing and utilities, but you may be interested in spending money on additional items: going out to restaurants and bars, buying clothing, traveling around Israel independently, etc. We encourage you to save money prior to the start of your program.

Rehovot, located 12 miles south of Tel Aviv, is a thriving city that is home to many students and young people. Rehovot’s downtown area features a vibrant nightlife, diverse restaurants – including some of the best Yemenite food in Israel – cafes, and an outdoor shuk (market) where you can buy delicious and fresh produce. Rehovot is safe and easily accessible by trains and buses to Tel Aviv and other central locations and is near one of Israel’s most beautiful beaches, Palmachim. With a population of 114,000, Rehovot is a host city to a large Ethiopian community and many Russian immigrants have come to call Rehovot home as well. This diversity makes Rehovot an ideal site for meaningful volunteer work and is a great place to truly experience life in Israel.

You will be living in furnished apartments communally with other Israel Teaching Fellows participants. You will share a room with 1-2 other people in the apartment. All of the apartments have air conditioning, heat/space heaters, Wifi Internet, cable television, a kitchen with dishes, pots, and pans, sheets and towels, and a washing machine.

Many fellows walk or bike around Rehovot. Everything is also easily accessible by bus in Rehovot. If you'd like to leave Rehovot on your days off you can take a bus or train to basically anywhere in the country. On Friday nights and Saturdays, public transportation doesn't run in Israel. You can take a sherut (shared van) to Tel Aviv or other large cities. Bus drivers and sherut drivers are usually very happy to help English-speakers figure out where they’re going and how to get there.

During a normal work week, you will be working in your school four days a week (Monday – Friday) from around 8:00am-2:30pm. One evening a week is "chevruta" or a learning evening with your Israeli peers, where you have programming and dinner together. In addition, you will work with the group on a community project either on Tuesday or Wednesday in the afternoon/early evening hours. You have intensive Hebrew class (ulpan) twice a week. Once a week, you'll also meet with all the English-speaking participants for a group meeting. Sunday is reserved for various education and training sessions, or trips around Israel. You’ll have time to reflect on your informal education work, social action in Israel, Israeli culture and history, and more.

Yes. Although Ma'ase Olam is structured and intensive, you will have free time. Most of your weekends are free. You also have numerous evenings free. Additionally, you have extended vacations during Hannukah and Passover.

The quality of education in Israel’s periphery varies greatly. Sometimes you’ll work with students who speak near fluent English, and sometimes you’ll work with students that have never encountered English in their day-to-day lives. You’ll primarily work with students in grades 3-9, depending on which school you’re placed in. Don’t be dissuaded by teachers telling you that a student is a “problem child” or “doesn’t understand.” The odds are, this student has never received the one on-one attention they all crave. Bear in mind that the average class size in Israel is 35 students, which can lead to stressed-out teachers and children who fly under the radar. You will have another Israel Teaching Fellows participant volunteering in the school with you, together with an Israeli peer once a week. It’s challenging work, but the rewards are innumerable. The students worship you, jump at every opportunity to speak with you, and truly treasure the time they get to spend with you. You’ll feel like a celebrity every single time you walk into the building.

You will spend the first few weeks of the program traveling to Achva College (a half hour drive from Rehovot) to attend classes before you ever enter a classroom. These classes will help you learn how to teach English as a foreign language. The training is a combination of lectures and smaller group sessions with an individual instructor. You will also have the opportunity to observe classrooms in your school before you jump in.

Educational sessions are designed to improve your capabilities as an educator and Jewish leader. Particular attention is devoted to techniques for teaching English as a second language, as well as building a stronger understanding of the various social issues in Israel today. Some past sessions have included: Economic and Social Disparities in Israel, Culture Shock and Adaptation to a New Culture, Creating Meaningful Relationships: Interpersonal Communication with a Language Barrier, and more.

No. Participants come on Ma'ase Olam with a wide range of Hebrew knowledge. All participants are required to study in ulpan, an intensive Hebrew class. Multiple ulpan classes are provided so as to accommodate the range of Hebrew ability within the program.

Applicants do not need a formal background in education to join Israel Teaching Fellows, though any type of formal or informal education experience will be helpful. Our organization selects applicants that demonstrate a strong desire to develop their teaching and communication skills.

What are my responsibilities for the school year and day? Do I design lesson plans or special projects?

It depends on your individual school and teacher. You are responsible for helping to teach the course material by working with students one-on-one and in small groups. You will also have the opportunity to utilize your various talents and interests through your teaching. Past participants have led debate clubs, international culture lessons, and workshops on important issues facing children and adolescents.

Generally, you cannot change schools. Our commitment to the students is long-term, and should not be cut short part-way through the year to change a volunteer location. If you are having any issues at your school placement, talk to your program coordinator in Israel and she will help you through them.

The safety, security, and well being of Ma'ase Olam participants is of paramount importance to us. Ma’ase Olam adheres to the security regulations of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Education. Ma'ase Olam updates its participants regularly regarding security issues in Israel and makes changes when need be to the program. Upon arrival in Israel, you will go over appropriate security regulations to follow throughout your stay.

Ma’ase Olam is open to Jewish people of all backgrounds. Our organization has no political or denominational affiliation. That being said, we want everyone to feel comfortable no matter what their level of Jewish observance is. Accordingly, all meals provided during the program are kosher, and the program does not entail any activities that would violate traditional observance of Shabbat.

After completing the online application, you will be contacted by a rep from Masa's New York office. They will help you decide which of Israel Teaching Fellows' chapters is the best fit for you. If you are interested in joining Ma'ase Olam's ITF chapter in Rehovot, please make that clear to the Masa representative that you speak with.

Step 2: Phone call and Skype Interview with Ma'ase Olam.

If you and the Masa representative agree that our ITF chapter is the best fit for you, we will contact you to schedule a time when we can conduct an initial phone call then a skype interview. Unfortunately we cannot conduct in-person interviews as our offices are in Israel. The interview is a great way for us to get to know the person behind the application and to learn more about your interest in education and commitment to social justice. During the interview we will try to assess if you are suitable for the program requirements and norms. Expect each interview to last about an hour.

Step 3: Turn in your supporting materials.

After your interview, you should submit your supporting materials, which consist of:

Ma'ase Olam will contact you to inform you if you have been accepted into the program.

Step 6: Pay the deposit and sign up!

You'll have two weeks to make a final decision regarding your participation in the program. At the end of those two weeks, your $50 application processing fee and $300 non-refundable deposit are due. Those payments will be deducted from the total $1,050 program fee.

If you do not pay the processing fee and make the deposit within two weeks from your acceptance into the program, your position will no longer be guaranteed.